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Getting Started with ListManager 7.6
Introduction
Now that you've created content and segments, the next step is to put it all together in a mailing. A mailing is simply a message you send to your entire list, or to segments you've created previously. You can create your mailing on the fly, or import content you've created previously.
Before sending out your mailing, you can test it to see what it will look like, and schedule when you'd like it to be sent. You may also purge recipients who have received other messages (this is to exclude certain members from the mailing), or send to a sampling of your list or segment.
You can also use tracking to see if recipients open your mailing, and if they can see mailings in HTML. Later, you can see the success of your mailing in the "Reports" section.
The main Mailings page
The main Mailings page allows you to create a new mailing, review mailings that require your approval, view the mailing status of your mailings, see what mailings are scheduled for the future, and create advanced (triggered and sequential) mailings. You may also view currently active and completed mailings:
Create a new mailing
To create a mailing to your list, follow these instructions:
- Select New Mailing under Shortcuts on the Homepage. Or, click on the Mailings tab, and select New Mailing. The following window will open:
- If you have already created content for your message and would like to use that, click on Import Content in the lower right corner. This will show you a list of available content. Click select next to the desired one, and it will automatically be brought into the message fields of the mailing:
You may then skip steps 3-6 below. If not, compose your message on the Message tab.
- Edit the Mailing Name field. This name is not seen by message recipients; it is for descriptive, tracking and reporting purposes only.
- Edit the From: field. By default, your email address will appear there. Here are some examples of valid entries for the From: field:
bob@example.com
"Bob Smith" <bob@example.com>
- Edit the To: field. By default, the To: field is set to
%%nameemail%%, which will merge the name and email address of the recipient.
The To: field does not actually select the message's recipients.
- Enter the Subject: of the message. Recipients will see this line as the subject of the message they receive.
- Enter the Text Message and/or HTML Message you'd like to send (if you have not imported this already).
You may create just a text or HTML body, and that is what will be sent to your recipients. Or, you can create both, and send a mailing that has both text and HTML. This format is called multipart-alternative, and ListManager will create the correct headers and boundaries automatically. Recipients who can see HTML will only see your HTML message; those who can't, will see the text.
- Click on Save and Test to see what your mailing will look like. You can define who the test mailing will go to, i.e. yourself:
When you click OK, the test mailing will automatically be sent to the specified address, where you can check for content, formatting, or to see if URL's are functioning properly.
Special note on testing a message: Testing a mailing sends a random sample of the mailing to the address you specify. Do not be alarmed if you receive a message addressed to someone else! ListManager creates the message for the recipients, but redirects it to you. You will receive exactly what your recipients will receive in your email box, so you can see if any personalized content is successful, and if the formatting is correct.
- Or, click on Save. You'll be taken to the Mailings: Approval: Need Approval page, where you can send now, test, schedule, copy, or delete the content you just created:
- You can also click on the approval wizard button or the ID number next to the desired mailing, where you can make further changes to the mailing.
- Note that mailings can be sent to different segments by setting this in the Recipients tab:
- Recipients can also be purged. This selects mailings whose recipients should NOT receive this mailing. This process is very similar to selecting segments, except that with segments you are selecting members who the mailing is going to, whereas with purging, you're selecting the members who are NOT to receive the mailing — they are excluded from the list.
Note that your list must be set to allow recipient purging. For more information, click the  icon or contact technical support.
- The Tracking tab allows you track opens of the mailing, as well as HTML capability. Note that only mailings opened in HTML can be tracked; text messages cannot be tracked:
- The Schedule tab allows you to schedule a mailing to be sent at a later date or time:
If you check wait for approval, it won't be scheduled, but will be sent when the mailing is ready and approved. To schedule it, click the schedule for radio button and type in the date and time you'd like the message to be sent.
Use one of the following formats:
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For example: |
YYYY-MM-DD HH-MM-SS
MM/DD/YY
YYYY-MM-DD
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2004-05-01 10:15:00
05/01/04
2004-05-01
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By default, the date and time shown in your message showing when it was sent will be rewritten to be the time you schedule it to be sent. If you'd like it to be the date when it was created, change Rewrite Date When Sent to "no".
- The Schedule tab also allows you to create recurring messages, where the same mailing is resent every day, week, or month. This is useful if you are using conditional content to change the contents of the message sent, or if the message is sent to a segment such as all new members who joined on a certain date. A list FAQ can also be resent regularly, reminding list members of the list's rules.
Enter the number of days ListManager should wait before resending this message in Resend After This Many Days. If you enter "1", it will be sent every day; if you enter "7", every week, etc.
- Click on OK, and continue composing your message. When you're done, click on Save or Save and Test.
What's next?
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